Please help! Looking for a professional, honest contractor in the Mesa, AZ area.

[Jay-B]

Let me preface this post by saying that my grandmother is the most kind, sweet and wonderful human being who has ever lived. If you don't think so, you're wrong.

She was having trouble with her four year old Bryant 5 ton heat pump, so she called the installing contractor to take a look. The short version of the story is that they have already taken $ from her, and are looking to charge her another $ when they return to replace a supposedly leaking evaporator coil in 10 days. I can't even imagine asking one of my customers to hand me $ with no solution to their problem, but that's beside the point.

I have no faith in that diagnosis, and even if it is accurate, over $ to diagnose, replace an evap coil under warranty, and charge with R410A is robbery. Not to mention that my 88 year old grandmother will continue to be without heat for another week. She is heating her house with her oven and sleeping under a foot of quilts.

I'm expecting a call back from the contractor at 7:30 tomorrow morning, and I will deal with them accordingly, but she will still need to verify the diagnosis and have the unit repaired.

Can someone refer me to a qualified and conscientious company near Mesa, AZ that can help her? I'm not looking for cheap, I understand what it costs to run a service department. I just want someone I can trust to take care of my Grandma the way my company takes care of all of our customers.

Please contact me at Email addresses are not permitted in post, please put it in your profile, thank you.

Thanks for reading.

[jnsrose]

Even though the coil is under warranty that does not include labor. So you are upset because the contractor charged her for a service call to diagnose the problem and then gave her a price to replace it. Now you are asking for another contractor to look at it and give you their opinion. Well guess what, they are going to charge you for a service call to re diagnose the problem then give you a price to repair it. Does this sound about right or am I missing something. A 4 year old leaking coil is unfortunate and should be covered under warranty for the coil unfortunately this does not usually include labor. Be careful what you ask for you may wind up paying double. On the flip side you may just have a shady contractor trying to upsell for profit. Hope it works out for your grandmother.

[btuhack]

Grandma is being treated fair and square unless there's more to the story.

If you go to a doctor, you're on the hook for the office visit regardless of the prognosis. Treatments will generate more bills/expenses.

Hopefully Obama will revamp the hvac industry.

Good luck to Grandma!

[Jay-B]

Thank you both for your responses. Unfortunately, the purpose of the post was to find a reputable contractor, and neither of you provided that.

I didn't realize I was breaking the rules when I listed the prices this company was charging to diagnose the leak and replace the coil. A moderator erased the dollar amounts, making the post basically meaningless.

Since neither of you had any problem making assumptions about the company in question, or about my judgement, I'll make some assumptions of my own; First of all, I'm assuming you perceived my post as another whiny customer who just doesn't understand what it should cost to do your job. I'm also assuming that the prices you had in mind for this particular job are somewhere in the admittedly elastic price range for the industry. Let me share my background and try to give you some sort of idea what we're dealing with here.

I've been in HVAC since I was 18 years of age. I have never received a paycheck from any other industry as long as I've been old enough to vote. I founded my company when I was 25 and have built it into a leader in my market. I'm not trying to impress anyone, there are many more successful and smarter operators out there, but I'm plenty qualified to have make a call here.

The contractor's price to replace an in-warranty coil in this case was well over half the cost of the original installation of the full split system. Does that seem reasonable to either of you?

Profit is not a dirty word, but neither me nor my technicians have ever had to take advantage of an 88 year old widow to make it. I have seen some really crooked and disappointing things from this industry, but this is the worst I've seen in all my years as a technician and an owner combined.

[timebuilder]

Here is my assumption.
You're asking this question because you live in a different area of the country, so you're unfamiliar with what prices are normally charged in your grandmother's area.

Now you could just as easily open a phone book get another estimate and find out if it's within the same ballpark as the original contractor, or you could go on Angie's List and you could find a contractor referral there, but we don't live where your grandmother lives either, so none of us have any idea whether or not what your grandmother is being charged is fair or is not, so asking us to refer you to somebody there is really just a shot in the dark.

How did your grandmother choose the original contractor?

[second opinion]

Let me preface this post by saying that my grandmother is the most kind, sweet and wonderful human being who has ever lived. If you don't think so, you're wrong.

She was having trouble with her four year old Bryant 5 ton heat pump, so she called the installing contractor to take a look. The short version of the story is that they have already taken $ from her, and are looking to charge her another $ when they return to replace a supposedly leaking evaporator coil in 10 days. I can't even imagine asking one of my customers to hand me $ with no solution to their problem, but that's beside the point.

I have no faith in that diagnosis, and even if it is accurate, over $ to diagnose, replace an evap coil under warranty, and charge with R410A is robbery. Not to mention that my 88 year old grandmother will continue to be without heat for another week. She is heating her house with her oven and sleeping under a foot of quilts.

I'm expecting a call back from the contractor at 7:30 tomorrow morning, and I will deal with them accordingly, but she will still need to verify the diagnosis and have the unit repaired.

Can someone refer me to a qualified and conscientious company near Mesa, AZ that can help her? I'm not looking for cheap, I understand what it costs to run a service department. I just want someone I can trust to take care of my Grandma the way my company takes care of all of our customers.

Please contact me at Email addresses are not permitted in post, please put it in your profile, thank you.

Thanks for reading.

Check the dealer locator in the index, there are two dealers listed in the immediate zip code for Mesa

[beenthere]

Access to the units may be poor, or very easy, we don't know, so we can't say much about the prices(I saw them obviously). We also don't know how long the tech was there searching for the leak, or what method/methods he used to fine the leak.


PS: If you were a Pro member I would have simply moved this thread to the Pro forums, where prices are allowed. Prices are not allowed in any of the open forums.

[kdean1]

She is heating her house with her oven

Is this a gas oven? There is a great danger of CO poisoning if it is. Get her some electric space heaters.

[Jay-B]

Here is my assumption.
You're asking this question because you live in a different area of the country, so you're unfamiliar with what prices are normally charged in your grandmother's area.

Now you could just as easily open a phone book get another estimate and find out if it's within the same ballpark as the original contractor, or you could go on Angie's List and you could find a contractor referral there, but we don't live where your grandmother lives either, so none of us have any idea whether or not what your grandmother is being charged is fair or is not, so asking us to refer you to somebody there is really just a shot in the dark.

How did your grandmother choose the original contractor?

It was just a shot in the dark that someone here would know or work for a good honest company, that's all. This is a nationwide resource and I thought it was worth a shot.

She received a mailer with a coupon for a tune-up, and called the company. When they arrived they sold her a new unit. I really had no issue with that, it was 16 years old at the time.

[jimj]

It was just a shot in the dark that someone here would know or work for a good honest company, that's all. This is a nationwide resource and I thought it was worth a shot.

She received a mailer with a coupon for a tune-up, and called the company. When they arrived they sold her a new unit. I really had no issue with that, it was 16 years old at the time.

Here are a few for you, Mason Mechanical, Wolff Mechanical, Day and Night Air Conditioning, all are VERY good contractors.

[Jay-B]

Access to the units may be poor, or very easy, we don't know, so we can't say much about the prices(I saw them obviously). We also don't know how long the tech was there searching for the leak, or what method/methods he used to fine the leak.


PS: If you were a Pro member I would have simply moved this thread to the Pro forums, where prices are allowed. Prices are not allowed in any of the open forums.

I'll get that Pro thing handled when I have 15 posts. Won't take long at this rate.

Time on the original call was one hour. Invoice says on site at 9:50am, completed at 10:45am.

Access to the unit is not bad. Typical attic, plenty of room. I've been up there to check the unit and seal all the leaks from the install. The company in question is estimating 3-4 hours to replace, their estimate, not mine.

The point I'm trying to make here is that I didn't make a baseless accusation. This is flagrant.

[Jay-B]

Here are a few for you, Mason Mechanical, Wolff Mechanical, Day and Night Air Conditioning, all are VERY good contractors.

Thank you!

[beenthere]

I'll get that Pro thing handled when I have 15 posts. Won't take long at this rate.

Time on the original call was one hour. Invoice says on site at 9:50am, completed at 10:45am.

Access to the unit is not bad. Typical attic, plenty of room. I've been up there to check the unit and seal all the leaks from the install. The company in question is estimating 3-4 hours to replace, their estimate, not mine.

The point I'm trying to make here is that I didn't make a baseless accusation. This is flagrant.

For an hour, the diagnostic price is a bit high. The replacement price isn't really that high.

You should call and talk to the manager/owner of that company.

[ga-hvac-tech]

Hey Jay-B...

Go ahead and get your 15 posts and get your PRO status... you will be amazed at what is behind the PRO door.

Meanwhile, here is something to think about: You would be amazed at how many DIY types come on here with endless stories... almost every one of them is trying to get something for nothing. If you are in the business, you know what I speak of... SOOO... to react to a bunch of folks who have been around the block hundreds of times... well, just well...

Seriously... get your PRO rating... it will open up a whole new part of H-talk, and I think you will appreciate what is behind the PRO door.
Hing: When a Pro posts a need in a PRO forum... someone usually comes along and helps them... however without a PRO rating... how do any of us know you are not just another scammer... internet bandwidth is cheap... (whoops)

[timebuilder]

I'm glad to see that your shot hit the target. It's good to have choices.

I also agree with Beenthere. You might want to contact the service Co.

[btuhack]

Since neither of you had any problem making assumptions ....

If you take a Midol and revisit your 1st post...the Dr. Phil audition, You'll find the 1st 2 replies within reason.

Knowing now how impressive you are, welcome, we have many other holier than thou types for you to mingle with.

[timebuilder]

Speaking only for myself, I had to assume why a qualified guy was asking about these aspects of the situation, instead of just doing the job for grandma in the first place.

Now, if he started with, "I live in Georgia, and my grandma is in Arizona,"...then it might have made a little more sense to most of us.

[Jay-B]

If you take a Midol and revisit your 1st post...the Dr. Phil audition, You'll find the 1st 2 replies within reason.

Knowing now how impressive you are, welcome, we have many other holier than thou types for you to mingle with.

Good to know. Thanks for your input.

[timebuilder]

Good to know. Thanks for your input.

You're going to like it here. We have a variety of characters, and some pretty smart guys, too.

[Jay-B]

In case anyone is following along, (and because I need five more posts) here is the rest of the story:

The obvious first step as some of you mentioned was to contact the company. I actually had a couple of conversations with them before I posted here. They offered a significant price reduction, but not nearly enough, and I was dissatisfied with the overall feeling I got from them. I determined that the best course of action was to jump on a plane, and have a look for myself.

I boxed up some tools and FedExed them to Grandma, and caught a flight last week. In short, one service valve was cooked, and the caps were loose. The leak at the service valve was significant enough that there was an oil stain under the unit, and when I spun the cap off by hand, refrigerant boiled out of it.

I isolated the evap coil and lineset and pressure tested it 300 lbs for 12 hours. I'm 99.9% certain at this point that there is no leak in the coil. I inspected the condenser for leaks as well, and it appears that the only source of refrigerant loss was the service valve.

With the caps sealed, the system evacuated to 325 microns, so it appears to be tight as a drum.

Phone calls and emails to the company have gone unanswered. I've made them aware of the situation, but I stopped short of making a personal visit because I didn't feel as though it was constructive at this point. They have made their position, and their ethics known, and I doubt I'm the guy who can change their thinking.

Everything is up and running, and grandma is warm. I was also able to connect with what seems like a very good company who will take care of her moving forward.

This job was botched from the word go. The installation is embarrassing, and the service afterward was disgusting. It's too bad there are guys like this out there, it's not good for our industry. Sad to think of what happens to all the grandmas who don't have family in HVAC...